Now, one cybersecurity expert has proclaimed the move as the start of "an era of greater balance in national cybersecurity leadership" in the intellegence community.

SANS Institute research director Alan Paller told The Hill that with the hiring of Weatherford, "for the first time in many years, the U.S. cybersecurity program will be run by a technologist rather than by a lawyer." He saw this as leading to a "greater balance in national cybersecurity leadership between [the National Security Agency] and DHS."

Weatherford succeeds Philip Reitinger, who left DHS to be the chief information security officer at Sony.

Following cybersecurity legislative proposals supported by the Senate and White House, DHS will be the lead federal agency in charge of overseeing cybersecurity in the private sector and at civilian agencies, with NSA playing a supporting role.

This story is part of Federal News Radio's daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.